


The Life and Times of Jane Shepard: Interplanetary Combative Training

by Blossomingsun



Series: The Life and Times of Jane Shepard [3]
Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Action, F/M, Heterosexual Sex, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-11-07
Updated: 2013-01-07
Packaged: 2017-11-18 03:46:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 16,319
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/556551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blossomingsun/pseuds/Blossomingsun
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The inspiring Commander Shepard brings diverse groups together and leads without fail. But where did she get her tenacity, her ability to come out victorious? Shepard was truly formed by her years at The Villa, taking her N-program training seriously. These were the events that occurred during those years that molded her into a force truly to be reckoned with. Part Three of Five.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. I Will Find a Way to You if it Kills Me

Shepard knew where her family had come from. Her mother's family had originated from Ireland, a country that was more or less a lush, green island that was notorious for auburn locks and green eyes. She was the epitome of the Irish, also known for feisty women. Her father, however, was from a small water-borne country called the Kingdom of the Netherlands. She was never truly sure what they were famous for.

The N-School, or  _The Villa_  as most people on the SSV Hastings referred to it, was in neither of those places. In fact, Shepard was told it was on the other side of the world. That was disappointing to find out, until they reached Rio de Janeiro, the city where  _The Villa_  had been built. If Shepard had thought the Earth had looked beautiful from space, seeing the land up close made it majestic.

The ship had docked at the spaceport which hung over the Southern Atlantic Ocean. Rio de Janeiro was part of a country named Brazil, which was part of a larger continent referred to as South America. Shepard had to futilely grasp at her long-lost social studies just to remember the names correctly.

Stepping out of the ship and looking through the large windows of the Ship docking bay, Shepard could see the bright blue washing up onto sparkling white sand. The city skyline could be seen from far off, crystalline buildings shining in the sunlight. The only thing more breath-taking than the ocean, were the mountains that were covered in deep green jungles, ripe with life. They dropped off into cliffs that kissed the ocean, forming gorgeous waterfalls.

"Pretty fucking amazing, ain't it Sunshine?" The deep voice came from behind her. It jolted her from the deep day-dream she was having at taking a swim in the bright waves.

"And just like that, the magic is gone," Shepard muttered more to herself than addressing Riley.

"We better get a move on, Anderson expects us to be unpacked and at the inductee ceremony at 1700 hours EST. I know that you've got to take a few hours figuring out where you can begin hoarding more of those mods once we go out on missions,"

"Shut up, Riley," She failed at keeping the smile out of her voice.

* * *

The Villa was just as beautiful as the scenery surrounding it. When they had arrived via shuttle, Shepard was able to view the entire 'estate' as they flew over it. It was a classical campus of buildings, all seemingly carved out of Pentelic marble, the outside walls washed in a glow of sunshine. There were gardens between the buildings, along with what looked to be training grounds, along with a few larger buildings that seemed to be slightly more sophisticated in architecture than the rest.

It was both stunning and exciting, creating anxiousness within Shepard that she could barely contain. She had to keep herself from pressing her face against the windows of the shuttle to peer at as much as she could.

Riley, the only other person to leave the ship, was seemingly unfazed by the sheer beauty of their surroundings. That only made her ignore him more.

Once they touched down, they were shown to a building that was considered 'Underclassmen' dormitories. These particular rooms were for N-program inductees and N1s and N2s. No one had to share a room, and everyone had their own bathroom, but other than that, the furnishings were Spartan. Shepard unpacked the few things she had brought, putting her five weapon cases and box in the closet alongside her clothes. She had left nearly everything in the apartment untouched, knowing that the sentimentalities probably wouldn't be appreciated at The Villa.

Besides, Shepard didn't want to be the one caught with a comic book and be forever labeled 'the nerdy one' at the most prestigious military training base known to humanity. That wouldn't make a particularly good impression on anyone.

After unpacking and taking a shower, Shepard slipped into her summer whites. She had rarely been given a chance to wear them, mostly because the Alliance Space branch never had a reason to wear sets of clothes meant for hot weather. The uniform itself was still crisp, bright white and as new as new could be. The short sleeve shirt was breathable, as were the bleached pants. The feeling was so foreign to Shepard; it took a few moments to get used to.

During the moments Jane deliberated wearing her Omni-tool to the induction ceremony or not, it beeped at her. Slipping the black sleeve over her arm, she activated her extranet mail, thinking that Eliza probably sent her a congratulatory message. The AI had seemed more excited than her when Shepard declared she would in fact be going to the Villa.

Surprisingly, it was a message from Amber Damara. Shepard hadn't spoken to her since she had left Taetrus for Elysium.

_Long Time No See, Jane Shepard_

_From: Ensign Amber Damara_

_Jane Shepard,_

_First off, if you're reading this, awesome! That means this is the first time I've sent you a message that hasn't been refused by your EMS. It's about freaking time!_

_Secondly, where have you been? As soon as the Alliance lost contact with you (which, coincidentally was only a week or two after I saw you), suddenly all the messages I was sending to you came bounced back with this message:_

_.2826_

_Technical details of permanent failure:_

_PERM_FAILURE: SMTP Error (state 13): 553 sorry, mailbox unavailable (#4.7.1)_

_550-[] is currently not permitted to relay through this server._

_550-Perhaps you have not logged into the pop/imap server in the last 30 minutes_

_550 or do not have SMTP Authentication turned on in your email client._

_When I tried to figure out exactly what the hell that meant, I only understood that someone had either shut down your Alliance EMS or your particular EMS was not allowed to receive messages. I tried to figure out how to send messages directly to your Omni-tool, but apparently you need the specific access number of that Omni-tool in order to communicate with it._

_I decided to try and try to message you now, because Anderson sent me a discreet message about you joining the N-program at the last minute. I know you won't have much time to chat, but since I saw you, I've been going out with the ground team for the past few months. I'm only in a support role, and we don't see much action, but it's better than being stuck inside the ship for weeks on end._

_If you reply to this and I don't respond right away, it's because I'm in the middle of a planetside skirmish. We're heading to a Colony planet in its pioneer stages, it's called Akuze, I think. Apparently the Alliance lost all contact with the Pioneer Team there. Creepy, am I right?_

_Anyways, we'll be there in a few hours and I've got to get suited up and ready. Just me and a bunch of large, burly marines scouring a dirty mudball for people that have probably run out of power. Oh, I'll be in hunk heaven._

_Don't work too hard, Shep. I'm looking forward to being at your N7 graduation._

_Non Sibi Sed Patriae_ _, sister._

Shepard smiled at the message, and marked to respond to it later. Ultimately, she left her Omni-tool sitting atop the small dresser. She'd respond to the message when she got back from the induction.

* * *

"Good Afternoon to all of you, I hope each and every one of you found the journey to be pleasant and swift. I want to thank each and every Alliance officer here for answering the call to be something greater than themselves. Thank you for putting humanity first, before yourselves, before your family. Thank you for serving to reach a greater purpose," Anderson was standing on a dais that was nothing more than a slightly raised floor that was in the center of the large hall.

Shepard had entered about the same time as Riley, and she had silently counted how many others there were in the hall. Riley was dressed in his best uniform, but he was must have not found the heat offensive, because his dress blues were the full-sleeves and jacket.

By her count, there seemed to be about sixty-five total candidates that had been invited, including Riley and herself. Riley had tried to make a smart remark to her, at the same time that Anderson took the floor, and her attention was enraptured by the latter much to the chagrin of the former.

"This is not so much an induction ceremony as it is your briefing for your first mission. In order to truly be welcomed into the N-Program, you must qualify by successfully completing a series of tasks. These will begin immediately," Anderson gestured with his hand, and from the numerous doors that fed into the hallway, men and women began to fill the edges of the room.

"These are the N7s from the past years, and each one will take one of you, blindfold you, and fly you out to a remote location. They will provide you with a backpack of necessary survival supplies, and you will have exactly four days to return to this base. If you do not return within the initial 96 hours, you will be expected to pack up your things when you do return. Those who do return within the specified time will be awarded with an N1 designation,"

Shepard was glad that the lights were low in the hall, because Anderson's matter-of-fact statement didn't make the truth any less surprising, and her jaw had dropped at his words. They were presently going to be blind-folded and flown out to an unknown location, and expected to trek foreign territory and only survive on

_Well, fuck. I'm glad I already took a hot shower before this._

"This isn't exactly what I had in mind for the first night at the Villa," Riley's quiet words mirrored her thoughts perfectly, before being picked out by a nearby N7.

* * *

The man that had blindfolded Shepard was definitely of Chinese-descent. She had met many Pan-Asian Alliance officers aboard the ships she had lived on, and this man was certainly from that region. Along with the fact that his N7 military dress also had a small flag of China on it was a tell-tale sign. The name plate resting above his right breast glowed dimly in the light revealing his last name, Leng. A terse name for a terse-looking man.

The last thing Shepard noticed was the  **N7**  logo that was embroidered onto his chest, above his commendations. It was stark against the navy fabric, the letters shining white, with a small burning triangle beside them completing the look. It created flutters within Shepard's stomach to think of herself one day wearing that same designation upon her armor and dress.

"Turn," He said.

Shepard did as she was told. As her eyes were covered with a thick fabric, her mind went into overdrive. Jane knew that when she had turned, she was then facing  _west._

Leng put his hand between her shoulder blades, and began directing her towards the warmth outside. As they turned, Shepard kept tabs on which way she happened to be facing.

_East._

"I will be taking you to your destination. It is known as the Serra dos Órgão. From there, you will have four days to return to this campus,"

_North._

"When we reach the Serra dos Órgão, I will provide a pack for you,"

_East._

"In this pack is a map, along with coordinates back to the campus. A small lantern and a large square canvas are stowed in the pack. There are also bottles with built-in filtration systems, enough rations for the first day and a single pistol with exactly two full thermal clips,"

_Northwest._

"The only other thing in your pack is an emergency beacon. Only use it if you feel that your life is in danger. When you activate it, within the hour an emergency transport will pick you up and bring you back. You will be asked to pack your things and leave after being checked out in the Med-Bay,"

_North._

When Shepard felt Leng's hand leave her back, she stopped walking. She heard a door open, and Leng firmly grabbed her by the forearm and guided her skillfully up the stairs and into the passenger side of the skycar. Shepard could tell it was a new skycar by the smell.

Once Leng had started the engine, they lifted off and Shepard did her best to remember what general direction they were doing in.

Leng began to speak again, "The trek through the Serra dos Órgão will take you approximately seventy-six hours on foot. That leaves you about five hours of sleep each night," That didn't bother her, having normally slept about five hours a night ever since… since the  _late night sparrings_.

Shepard silently cursed at herself for letting her thoughts run away from her, but Leng had grown quiet. She thought this would be the opportune time to break the silence.

"You have any advice for a rookie?"

The air was soundless for a few moments, Leng probably pondering whether to feed Shepard something truthful.

At last, he spoke, "You will most likely run into others on your way back. The first two days, it is better to stay with others while finding your way back,"

"Why not stay with them the entire journey back? It would make more sense that the larger a group, the more likely it is that we'll return in time," Shepard questioned.

"This is an extremely competitive environment. Once a person is ensured to have enough food and water to last him for the journey, they will turn to try and take others out of the race completely,"

His words chilled her to the bone. She had thought that the N-Program was a place where you learned to work as a team, work on leadership skills. Shepard hadn't expected a survival of the fittest rivalry.

The feeling of weightlessness hit Shepard unexpectedly as she realized they were touching down. It had only seemed like a few minutes they were in the skycar, but it could have easily been half an hour. The soft thud of the transport landing caused a shiver to run up Shepard's spine and her skin shuddered.

As the doors to the skycar lifted open, heat poured into the car. It was a welcome heat that warmed her cool limbs, hastening her anxiousness to depart. Once more, Leng aided her in reaching the ground without fault.

"Take this," His hands carefully placed a large pack within her arms. Those words were the last that she would hear from his mouth for almost a decade. Seconds later, Shepard heard the transport rev its engine and takeoff into the sky.

Setting the canvas pack on the ground at her feet, Shepard peeled the blindfold back onto her head, creating a makeshift bandana for her dark bangs. Slowly, she formulated a plan while she took in the sights surrounding her. Thankfully, Leng hadn't patted her down before jet-setting back into the sky. Shepard always kept a blade at her ankle when she wasn't in her armor, strictly for last-resort purposes. At least she had that familiar while staring down the jungle lying before her.

Leng had set the transport down in a grove that was just big enough for the car to land in, amidst a canopy of deep jade. Large waxy leaves dripped from vines, and vast amounts of vapor sifted through the layers of lush greenery, attempting to waft on the breeze above. The dense jungle grew dark as Shepard peered into its depths, attempting to piece together a path amongst the thick foliage.

Plucking a leaf from a nearby vine, the skin was slick and rain-proof. Shepard reveled in how much life surrounded her at the moment, the trees, the plants, the  _Earth itself._ It was an overwhelming thought, knowing that she was on her home world. She took a moment to drink it in before setting into action.

What were the only things more intimidating than what Shepard could see of the jungle? The currently invisible creatures she knew that were stalking the shadows and underbrush. The unknowns that lurked within the dark rainforest while she attempted to sleep were what would keep her up at night, and deprive her of those desperately needed recuperative hours.

"Well, the only thing to do is move forward," Shepard spoke to no one in particular.

Pulling out the extensive map, a small red dot marked where she had been put down, in the middle of the Serra dos Órgão, the Mountain Range of Organs. She really didn't want to know how it got its namesake. Another small dot, colored blue, indicated her destination.

Staring into the sky, Shepard estimated she had about three hours before it would be dark. Better to go ahead and use those three hours to her advantage.

After locating a stream that wasn't too far away on the map, Shepard rifled through her pack and found the small lantern. She flipped the switch, and securely fastened the pack onto her back before taking off into the darkness that was quickly overtaking the land. She headed in the direction of the stream, using the sun as a guide to the west.

Shepard wasn't exactly sure if she wanted to run into the other inductees or not. The advice that Leng had given her had sounded serious at the time, and she always strayed to the side of 'better safe than sorry'.

In the back of her mind, she was silently hoping that the one person she would run into was none other than John Riley.


	2. I Recall the Sun Sank Low

Shepard thanked the Spirits for the fact that she hadn't run into any other candidates while trekking to the stream. She thanked them again when she was able to set camp without anyone stumbling upon her resting place, unwanted candidate or unexpected creature. Surprisingly, there was naught.

The stream was more like a small river, coursing down the mountainside, mist rising off the sides where the water hit the rocky embankment. The green-eyed Sentinel had argued within herself whether or not she should sleep upon the rainforest floor or try sleeping in the trees. Trees would provide a safe haven, staying unknown to those who wouldn't look up, but the clouds that were sweeping overhead warned her of rain.

In the end, she decided pitching a tent for the night would be best. She would stay dry if it did happen to rain, and it would be more comfortable for her to sleep. Shepard was able to braid a few vines together to make a sturdy enough line to pitch her canvas over it. It would do.

What wouldn't do were her clothes. Shepard cursed herself for wearing her summer whites. They would never truly be white again. There were splotches of dark mud and clay at her knees from where she had tripped from a twisted root or unseen rock. There were brushstrokes of varying degrees of green where she had been wading through bushes and plants. Her arms had stayed free from scratches and cuts due to Shepard keeping up a biotic barrier while walking.

She had contemplated simply doing as many biotic charges across the terrain as possible, but with such little food, she'd burn up the energy far faster than she could replenish it. Inanition, the deceptively beautiful word that Tiberus liked to use, was not the way Shepard wanted to leave the galaxy. Slow but steady would win the race, her father chanted in the back of her mind. Besides, she had already eaten part of her rations, and at this rate, if she didn't find food, Shepard wouldn't even be able to keep up her biotic barrier.

Before settling into her tent for the night, the Heroine of Elysium had thought up an idea as an alarm. Gathering dry twigs that she found near her campsite in the increasing darkness, she placed them all around her tent at random intervals. She then lightly covered them with dry leaves. Anyone or anything that stepped on them would easily snap the branches with their feet and alert her to their presence.

Carefully, she danced her way through her trap with her lantern, and laid down to rest in her tent, using her pack as an uncomfortable pillow. Extinguishing the light left Shepard with nothing but the shifting sounds of the rainforest.

* * *

_Crack._

Shepard woke with a start. Jade irises were wide open and she silently sat up.

_Someone colorfully cursing._

She had to keep herself from smiling at the stream of words that floated on air, just slightly louder than a whisper. There was a man with a lantern just outside her tent.  _Time for some fun._

Her body became alit with a blue glow, enveloping her from head to toe, and she floated out the back of her tent, and kept to the darkness. Her glittering form stayed out of sight of the man who was more worried about the now empty tent. Coming up behind him, her feet set silently upon the ground, and she observed him for a moment.

He was a nondescript creature, with brown hair and brown eyes, a marine of sorts, if Shepard knew her military uniforms. She did. His name plate read 'Keeran'. Keeran was currently peering into her tent, and at that moment, Shepard's eye caught a particularly interesting twig just behind the marine. She soundlessly lifted her foot as Keeran began to edge towards the tent.

_Crack._

The man nearly jumped out of his skin, falling forward onto the canvas, collapsing her tent. It was all worth the yelp that he let out in those first few seconds of falling, covering her mouth so she wouldn't laugh out loud and alert others to her presence. Keeran had certainly done enough of that with his cursing and yelping.

"Need a hand?" Shepard leaned down, offering a hand to the man who was kneeling in the midst of her broken campsite.

"Jesus Christ! If you had tried any harder to scare me, I would've shit my pants," Keeran ignored her hand and stood without trouble.  _Oh great, another mouthy one. Why do I always run into the mouthy marines? Why can I find a strong and silent type?_

"I'm sorry, but what did you think would happen when you went snooping into someone else's tent? I'd hand you a basket full of cookies and tea?" Shepard pulled her pack out from underneath the canvas, turning on her lantern and putting things back into the pack as best as she could.

"You're Lieutenant Shepard," His voice sound awed. Shepard couldn't tell from how dark it was, but it sounded very similar to people who realized exactly who she was.

"That would be my name, yes,"  _Perhaps if I'm a super-bitch, he'll just be on his way._

"I met you at one of the military galas on Terra Nova. You're one of the heroes of Elysium and you received the Star of Terra. You took down nearly 10,000 Batarians single-handedly," His voice had gone from being in awe of her to becoming completely enraptured by the fact that Lt. Shepard was standing before him.

"It wasn't completely single-handedly, and is there a point to you reciting slices of my life? Because just as a reminder, I was there," Shepard nodded her head.

"Do you mind if I tag along with you? You're probably one of the best here," He noted with admiration.

"Sure, why not? It's not as if I was enjoying the silence," Jane settled the backpack onto her shoulders, lantern in hand. "How long have you been awake?"

"I only woke up about half an hour before stumbling into your twig trap," Keeran kicked a few more of the branched aside, clearing a soundless path for himself.

Shepard again put the blindfold over her black bangs, forming a headband. "Great. Well, let's be on our way," The sentinel muttered to herself,

They took off into the dark, just a pair of lights bouncing through the trees.

* * *

They had been walking for nearly 12 hours. It was no longer the black of night. Shepard had watched the sun creep into the sky, not yet at its peak. Her muscles were tired from the constant movement, and she cursed at herself for not keeping up a good workout regimen while on Elysium.

"I'm starving. Do you think we could somehow find something to eat around here?" Keeran had been incessant with questions. His hero-worship had almost driven Shepard to insanity. Questions on what exactly had happened at Elysium, what were her normal tactics in certain situations, and what type of team did she prefer to work with. Shepard gave short answers, not wanting to give up much to this stranger she'd only met hours before.

These questions were trying her patience; Shepard wasn't used to so much attention, not since before she put on the guise of  _Alison Gunn_. She'd gladly trade in her name for a new one. For an instance she had a flicker of yearning for her apartment on Elysium.

"I'm sure we could find something, we just need to find a place where animals would be likely to gather," Bright green eyes took in the area around them. There were a plentiful number of birds, but they were tricky to aim for, and didn't provide enough meat once shot. She could always use her biotics, but her muscles were already cramping from lack of energy. Besides, she'd like to keep the biotics a surprise in case of emergency.

Keeran pulled out his map and pointed to a nearby river. "If we can locate the nearest water source and follow it a ways, I'm sure we'll find something nearby. Or we could always try shooting the fish,"

Shepard stood silent for a moment, surprised by the insightful vocalization of her companion. All she could manage after a few seconds was, "Sure, sounds like a great idea,"

His face lit up, but Shepard just shook her head while walking past him.

* * *

_Black hair tickled her cheek as her father kneeled down beside her. They were in the barn, warm from the ripe harvest wind blowing the sun's rays through the rafters. She was staring at the table, mesmerized. Upon it laid a bundle wrapped in sterile sheets._

" _Are you sure you want to do this, Jane?" His rough voice always made her hum with contentment, its deep and rich sound resounding through her soul. "I can manage without you. Besides your mom may need help in the kitchen,"_

_She was almost twelve years old, her red hair bouncing around in a high ponytail that her mother had put up. "I want to do it, dad. It's a good skill to know. Besides, I've helped mom all day,"_

_Hannah Shepard was due any day now, and Shepard loved to do favors for her mom in exchange for caresses over her mother's taut stomach, imagining her brother following her hands with his own, tiny fingers. He was to be John Shepard the Second, the one to even the score against the feisty Shepard women._

_John Shepard the First, simply chuckled at the oddity that was his daughter. Most daughters worried about clothes and boys and popularity contests. His daughter, worried about the best way to grow crops or how to fix a combustion engine. Now he was teaching her how to butcher a pig._

_Her father, stood on his feet, and she was always in awe of how tall he was. He took her hand and helped her onto a stool that was by the large wooden table. He handed her a pair of latex gloves that nearly went to elbows, and he donned a pair himself. His large hands began to unwrap the cloths from the still form, while Jane watched silently. The wooden table was warm from the sunlight, making her fingers tingle._

_With a large, flat blade, her father began outlining the haunches, the hocks, the trotters. He continued with slices to separate the back, the shoulders, the belly, the ribs, the jowl and head. She memorized the fine lines he drew with his blade. As his knife cut clean through the meat, the wood table resounded with a_ _**chop** _ _. His hand moved fluidly through the hog, the large blade glinting in the sunlight._

" _Once you've separated all the meats, you have to clean out the blood and organs quickly, or the rest will be contaminated," As he spoke, she stood and helped him bring the pieces to the large, steel sink that was at the back of the barn. She watched him skillfully wash each part with reverence, making sure every part was clean and sanitary._

" _It's important that we be respectful of these animals. They are giving their lives to us, so that we may eat and continue to live. You understand that?" His dark eyes flickered over to her face, and she nodded sagely. The entire process was entrancing to Jane._

" _Once everything is clean, we treat it with these organic preservatives, and over the next few days, we'll cook everything. Some will be sent to other families, and some we will keep for ourselves," He slid a hock into her gloved hands, "Would you like to help me wrap these?"_

_Jane nodded, smiling at her father. As they brought the pieces over to the clean half of the table, they used brown paper to wrap together the corresponding pairs of meat. The flesh was bright pink, slick from the recent cleaning._

_Her father spoke to her on which pieces would be cooked, which would be smoked and which would be fried. Jade irises fell upon the head and jowl that she was wrapping together. Her fingers, covered by gloves, fingered an older, jagged slice that had been there before her father touched the pig. It had been the killing blow._

_Jane leaned down to examine the cut, rougher than her father's, the one slice that had released its life back into the earth._

" _Thank you," She whispered to the head, before tenderly covering the face with brown paper. Her father apparently hadn't noticed what she was doing; a simple smile had formed on his face in those last moments._

"Did you just thank that beast?" Keeran's voice jolted her from memory.

"Well, it did just give us enough food to last the rest of our journey to the base. Now, can you bring the water over here?" Shepard spoke quickly, not wanting to continue reliving the past. Pulling out her knife, she began separating the belly, the haunch and the ribs from the rest of the pig. The other parts were useless to them, and these few parts would be enough to feed them for the next three days.

They had found a pair of hogs by the river that Keeran had located, and he had expertly taken the smaller one out with a single shot to the head. They were large boars, with tusks and rough hair that stood on end along their backs. The other wild pig had taken off once it had scented its brother's blood, and Shepard had taken it upon herself to butcher the animal.

She dropped her pack beside Keeran's, as the brown-eyed marine helped her clean the large pieces of meat, using their canteens with built-in filtration as a water source. Once they were devoid of organs and blood, Shepard set them upon her canvas and Keeran began building a pit.

They had to work quickly. They didn't want to attract any predators to their campsite, and they also needed to keep bugs and other creatures from contaminating the meat before they were able to cook it and pack it away.

They had divvied up the tasks that were before them. Shepard disposed of the pig, dragging it through the rainforest floor, her canteen hitting her hip with each stride. Once she was sure that Keeran couldn't see her, she used a rather powerful throw to send the carcass a few hundred yards. She then used her canteen to wash most of the blood away from their campsite. Once that was complete, she gathered some more branches, some to be used as a 'trap' and others for a fire.

Upon returning to the campsite, Shepard was surprised to find her canvas clean and folded up. "It's the least I could do. You're the one who butchered the thing," He had sufficiently spitted the pieces onto a sturdy branch.

Shepard smirked at the thought of a giant pork kebab over a roaring fire, and began setting the kindling into place. Keeran took up the task of creating said fire.

A few hours later, they had successfully cooked and packed the pieces into their packs. They had separated the food equally, in case they were split up, and began towards their destination once more.

Shepard slept soundly. It was their second nap together. The  _naps_  consisted of a total time of five hours of resting, following twenty hours of walking. She had grown accustomed to Keeran's questions, which had lessened over the past two days of walking.

It had rained the past twenty-two hours, more than a drizzle, but less than a steady rain. It was soothing to say the least, but the humidity had left Shepard with less-than-desirable hair. Keeran had been stealing glances at her since they had left the last campsite. She had attempted to make her hair settle down since then.

After eating some of their boar, they both set up their tents and waylaid the campsite with Shepard's patented twig trap. The sun had set hours ago, but their lanterns were easy enough to maneuver with, having gone through the motions the past two and a half days.

Shepard fell fast asleep with the knowledge that they were making great time. Her sleep was interrupted only a few hours later by a familiar sound.

* * *

_Crack._

_Swoosh._

_Thud._

Shepard had heard the three sounds in succession. Sitting up, she wondered if it had been Keeran, falling for their own traps while needing to _relieve_  himself, or perhaps it had been an animal or another person.

Lifting a part of the canvas, Shepard froze when she noted Keeran was on the ground, face-down and still, with a large figure silhouetted against the light of a lantern. It was only when the figure's face turned towards the sound of her canvas flapping, did she say anything.

"Riley?"

The marine shot her a smirk, "Hey there, Sunshine," Even after nearly being scared to death, his voice could still raise Goosebumps over her skin.

Shepard whispered harshly, "What do you think you're doing? Trying to cut off the competition?"

"Actually, I came upon this guy, gathering up his supplies and pack, and noticed that he had a companion – _you, to be exact_  – that he was leaving behind. As you well know, I can't tolerate any assholes other than myself, and as he reached for this pack that was strung up in this tree, I made myself known," Riley snapped another branch underneath his foot.

"Needless to say, the asshole jumped, tripped and knocked himself out, the dumb bastard," Riley shook his head.

Shepard shook her head, "I can't believe he was going to betray me,"

"Really, Sunshine? Even after me trying to blow up the bridge on Elysium, you still believe in the good side of people," He shook his head again. "Well, let's pack you up and head on out, I assume you've had enough beauty sleep?"

Shepard looked over to Keeran, made sure that he had a steady pulse, and then nodded. "Yeah, let's pack up,"

In light of his betrayal to Shepard, and knowing that Keeran might be out of commission for a while, the pair  _–in good nature, of course_ – took everything from the camp, except for Keeran's emergency beacon, he wouldn't need that stuff while he slept. They had activated the beacon for him,  _just in case_  he needed some help.

* * *

Since Riley had found Shepard, they had yet to speak more than a few words to one another. Riley had been guiding the way for what seemed to be about four or five hours, the sun just beginning to peek through the canopy of leaves.

"How'd you find me? Were you even looking for me?"

"Come on, Sunshine. You know it's destiny that keeps us together. We're obviously the two most kick-ass inductees in this race,"

"By accident then," Shepard confirmed.

"Yup," Riley chuckled, "Lucky I found you when I did, or you would have been screwed over by that asshole back there,"

"Thanks for that, by the way," She shot him a thankful smile as she stepped over a large, twisting root in their path.

His grey eyes were trained on her face, "Do you really think I would have let you stay there with that guy?"

She attempted to turn her eyes away from him, but he stepped closer to her. "No, but I didn't expect you to invite me along either,"

"Shepard," His eyes pierced her own gaze, holding her in thrall while he spoke. "You are the only person in this entire military that I consider a true friend. I know that helping you out isn't going to screw me over in the end. Know that if you are ever in need of help, I will be there for you,"

Shepard's cheek grew hot, and she was glad it wasn't yet light.

They continued for some time in silence, Shepard letting her mind relax. She'd only had about ten hours of sleep in the past two days, and though that was a normal amount of sleep for her, the exertion of extra energy was not.

As the sky began to lighten, they came upon a body of water. It was larger than a pond, but smaller than a lake. The waters were clear, making it safe enough to swim in them and still be able to detect any creatures that may lurk at its edges. Moss met sand at its small shores, the entire scene was incredibly inviting.

"Perfect, let's stop here for half an hour. I need to take a quick swim in the lake and wash some of this muck off," Riley spoke.

Shepard opened her mouth to protest, but Riley beat her to it. "You're more than welcome to join, Sunshine. In fact, from the way you smell, I would say that you  _need_  to take a swim," She scoffed at his words, but took a whiff of herself while he wasn't looking.

"I told you so," Or she thought he wasn't looking.

He began stripping, and Shepard spun around quickly.

"Don't tell me you're not going to watch the show, Sunshine," Riley teased, his voice low.

Shepard heard the water ripple and peeked behind her to make sure that he was decent enough to look at. The lieutenant had a view of the Captain's glorious backside, muscles rippling across his shoulders, tanned skin glistening in the sun. She took a silent gulp, thankful that she couldn't see anything below his hips.

"Come on, Sunshine. You need a bath like Krogans yearn for more thermal clips,"

She shouted in reply, "No thanks, I'll just up here, where it's nice and dry. I can't smell anything foul," She was lying her ass off about how horrifically she smelled, but there was no way she was getting in that water with a naked man with that many muscles.

"That's because the smell has completely cauterized your sinuses and you can't smell a damn thing!" Riley turned to shout at her, showing off his equally muscular chest and arms.

Before wading in further, Riley actually began to walk back out of the large pond, small lake. "If you don't come in willingly, I have ways of making you, Sunshine,"

Her brow furrowed for a moment, confused by his comment. The moment she understood his meaning, Shepard spun back around. He stopped for a moment, before the soft padding of his footsteps stopped where she stood.

Shepard crossed her arms. "You can't make me get in that lake, Riley,"

"Challenge accepted," Seconds after speaking, he came into view, and Shepard froze.  _Just keep staring at his face._

_Don't look down. Don't look down. Don't look down. Don't you dare look down, Jane Shepard._

He stepped forward, entering her personal space, and she quickly took a step back. Continuing this dance, Riley managed to back her up against a tree. He leaned down, "Are you going to come quietly, oh-foul-smelling-one?"

Shepard was concentrating so desperately on Riley's face, determined not to graze her eyes over his form, that she simply shook her head.

"Then I'm forced to take drastic measures," He reached out with his hands and slid them under her shirt. Shepard's natural reaction time went into overdrive at his warm touch.

"What the fuck are you doing?" She pushed his hands away, rather easily. "Wait…" Something didn't feel quite right where he had put his hands on her waist.

Lifting her shirt up, Shepard revealed a trim waist that had two large, muddy handprints settled below her ribcage. "Seriously, Riley?"

He was already back in the water, chuckling to himself. "Just giving you another reason other than your stench to take a quick dip,"

She began stripping off her clothes, first her shoes, shirt and pants, and finally her underwear. His back was to her, and she was certain that it was a display to keep her modest intact.

"You  **will**  pay for this, John Riley!" Shepard cursed as she stomped through the water, heading straight for him.

He just laughed in response.

After the reluctant bath, Shepard had to admit that she did feel better.

* * *

After a few more hours of hiking through sloping hills and valleys, the pair had begun to tire.

So far, heroes of Elysium had made great time. They had a full day of time left to reach the base, and by their conjoined calculations, they could reach the base in fifteen hours. They could stop one more time and rest before completing the journey in a few hours.

Shepard was tired, but excited to finish the trek, they were in a less dense area, where there were bigger trees, but they were fewer and farther between. Riley pointed to a particularly large one that was surrounded by a few other trees, and parsed the question, "What do you think? Good enough place to rest?"

"I think so, as long as it can hold your heavy ass," Shepard quipped.

"Sunshine, you wound me. I've been working so hard these past six months to keep my girlish figure," He dropped his pack to the ground, pulling his canvas out. A blade appeared in his hand, probably hidden in his boot, and he began making a large strip of canvas into a make-shift rope. Shepard dropped her pack and followed suit.

They had yet needed to sleep hidden, but they were getting close to the finish line, and they weren't going to take any chances. They strung their packs up to strong limbs of the tree, and found a pair of branches that seemed sturdy enough to hold bodies for a few hours.

They separately tied themselves to the trunk of the tree. The light was still in the sky, but Jane heard Riley speak to her quietly, "Night 'Shep,"

She leaned her head against the bark, closing her eyes. "Goodnight John,"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for this update coming out so late. I regularly update fanfiction.net as much as I can, but I've been slacking lately due to the holidays. That'll stop this upcoming week as I get back into the grind.


	3. In the Squalid Corners, Where the Shiftless Grieve

She woke with a crick in her neck and still-tired muscles. Her eyes fluttered open, and noted that the sun was setting, so she'd only been asleep for two hours at the most. She turned her head, her stomach and chest sore from the canvas rope that had kept her secure, to check on Riley.

_He wasn't there._

Her vision turned frantic, and she shifted her gaze to the rainforest's floor. She had begun to untie the knots of her rope to let herself down, but her eyes had found the form of Riley, walking away from their tree-bed. Her tongue danced to wet her lips before she moved to question what he was doing, until she noted that he had stopped, and began to mess with his pants.

Shepard blushed as she pulled her pair of green eyes from the backside of Captain John Riley. She took a deep breath, leaning the crown of her head against the rough bark, staring into the sky.

 _John Riley._  He was a complicated man. Most of the time, to most people, he was an ass without manners. When he was around Shepard, he was more or less a decent human being with morals. Jane knew she was attracted to him, but she wasn't going to get involved with another man, not so soon after Tiberus.

Her heart still stung at the loss of her Turian partner, and she wasn't going to get involved with someone because she liked the shape of their ass. Riley didn't always show his true colors, and Shepard didn't really know the man underneath the uniform. He occasionally gave away bits of himself, but any follow-up questions were deflected by caustic jokes or blunt language.

For Shepard, her mind had made itself up, telling it that the attraction was nothing more than lust. Every time her eyes lingered over his form, every moment that she indulged in conversation, she knew that she was drawing closer to that thin line that crossed over into love. The only thing keeping her back was the dulling pain of Tiberus.

Shepard was broken out of her thoughts by the crunching of underbrush. It wasn't Riley, who was just starting to come back towards the tree. It was a chorus of rustling feet, probably three or four pairs. Shepard couldn't see them from the branch, but she had already begun to untie her canvas rope.

"Well, well, what do we have here? It seems we've caught a hero of Elysium, boys," A deep female voice came from a hidden spot in the forest. The steps continued, and a quartet of soldiers had come through a nearby patch of trees. Three men and a woman, two of the men were marines and the other two were naval.

"That's right, what's your name again, Robert or something?" Spoke one of the men, a short, stocky man that had more hair than what Shepard thought was military-standard.

"It's Riley, now if you could kindly remove your idiotic selves from my vicinity, I can breathe freely without smelling the scent of shit surrounding me," Well, Riley sure does know how to greet people.

"I've heard about you, John Riley," The woman, with short blond hair and more visible muscle than Shepard, stepped closer to him. She was apparently used to the foul language, probably thanks to the three men that were traveling with her. "You're a hell of a survivor. Where's your pack, John?"

"It's over at my campsite," He was noncommittal, not even standing near the tree where Shepard sat silently in the tree.

"Why are you so interested?"

"Well, we planned on being the first ones back to base. We've already taken out a few competitors on the way there. We just wanted to make sure that your emergency beacon wasn't misplaced. You know, in case an accident happens," Her words left Riley unaffected, but they set Shepard on edge.

Riley simply crossed his arms, "You wouldn't shoot an unarmed man, would you? You aren't completely heartless bastards, are you?"

"Try me, Riley," said the hairy marine, and each of the quartet pulled their guns, training them on Shepard's companion.

The woman flicked her safety off first, and she said, "Take us to your campsite,"

Riley's expression of cool collection was carved from stone, "No,"

Shepard silently snorted and shook her head, and watched as the woman cocked her pistol, "Riley! They'll kill you, you idiot!"

Riley's face turned angry as Shepard gave away her location, the four enemies snapping their heads to notice her and the three packs swinging from a nearby branch. "Shepard…" He cursed to himself.

"Well, hello there! It seems I was mistaken... There are two heroes of Elysium hanging about. So nice of you to join the conversation," The woman spoke, and then gestured with her gun. "Why don't you come down here and we can talk like civilized people. Unless you'd prefer me to shoot you out of the tree,"

Shepard rolled her eyes, and swung from branch to branch, until her feet hit the ground. She held her hands up after she stuck the landing, walking closer to the four rather than standing beside Riley. "Take our packs, just leave us alone,"

"Tempting offer, but you know what is more tempting?" The woman smirked, her mouth twisting cruelly. "Taking the Heroes of Elysium out of the race, completely,"

Shepard couldn't believe that the Alliance recruited people like this, that there were actually people out there so innately sadistic. These people had  _problems._

Jane stepped closer to the quartet, "If you knew what was good for you, you'd leave us alone," Her voice went low and dangerous.

"Oh sweetheart, I hardly think you're in a position of negotiations. You don't even have a weapon," The blonde woman laughed, and the men by her chuckled in her wake.

A final step towards them, and Shepard was only three feet away from the woman's gun. Her green eyes heated to sharp emeralds, and her voice mimicked the woman's with catty sarcasm, " _Oh honey_ , I don't need a gun to be dangerous,"

Within seconds, Shepard's eyes flashed blue and a wave of biotic power crashed into the four. It continued to wash over the ground past them until it dissipated into nothing a few yards away. Her body crumpled over into exhaustion, from too little sleep, and not having eaten for a few hours.

"Shepard, you idiot," Riley was there in seconds, helping her to the ground slowly. Even when he was cursing her name, Goosebumps prickled over her arms. Damn him.

"It was worth it. They were complete assholes," Shepard whispered and struggled to stand, but Riley held fast to her, making her stay in the sitting position. "Riley, we have to get up, we have to go. They're not going to lay motionless there forever,"

"Some of them are," Riley noted, seeing that the woman and one of the silent men had hit their heads against tree trunks. She could see the glint of a shiny read smear against a rock, and another small trail of crimson that was sliding down a tree. The force of her shockwave had probably given them concussions. Surprisingly, Shepard couldn't find pity in her heart for these military officers that thoughtlessly put themselves before their brothers-in-arms.

What was more distracting than the unconscious foursome before them, was John Riley. The Captain had let her body settle between his legs, and the warm from his chest was emanating into her back. It was putting wicked thoughts into her head, and she needed to distance herself.

"Still, we need to get going," Shepard turned her face towards him. "So, can you kindly help me up?" This close his eyes were more than irises of steel. They seemed to be pairs of storm clouds rolling through a grey sky.

"Sunshine, I think you need to take a rest. Wait here and I'll get the packs," He ran his hand along her back before moving away.

She watched him for a few ticks in time as Riley climbed the tree. Once she felt well enough, Shepard lifted herself off the ground and began searching the unconscious bodies that lay around her. As she found their emergency beacons, she set each one, the soft beeping creating a melody as she set each one.

Riley had begun his descent down the limbs as she came to the last man. He had fallen in the underbrush, and was blessed with the softest landing. Her companion came up behind her, waiting for the location of the final beacon. A sudden snap of a twig and the man that was laying beneath her, awoke. His eyes opened wide, and with reflexes of a cat, he pulled a blade from his waistband, stabbing Shepard. "Bitch!" The man swore before Shepard knocked him back against the ground.

The blade had dug deep into the side of her thigh, and she hissed in pain. The Captain rushed to her side, and seeing the knife in her leg, promptly pulled her away from her assailant, knocking the man out with a punch.

" _Shit, shit, shit_ ," Shepard whispered, her hands hovering, ghosting over the blade that was buried to the hilt in her left leg. Blood was seeping through the wound, and Riley took her face in his hands.

"Shepard, you're going to be fine. It's just a flesh wound," Her white pants were soaked a dark red, the wound stark against the dirty white.

"Right, just a flesh wound,"  _God, there's so much blood._  The thought that it was hers made her stomach churn. Somehow seeing the wound made it worse, her mind swimming in the colors and lights of the jungle surrounding them.  _Is this how I'm going to die? No, stop thinking like that._  "Just a flesh wound, just a flesh wound,"

"I have to find a gun, okay? I'll only be gone a second, Jane," Riley disappeared from her view, and she was pressing on her leg to cease the flow from her leg. The pressure was alleviating enough pain to where she wouldn't pass out, and Riley was back in seconds with a pistol in his hands.  _Is he going to shoot them? What the hell is he doing?_

"Riley..." Her voice was so weak, she surprised herself. Riley cut off her sentence with the sudden movement of ripping her pants into shorts, much shorter than she would've preferred, but it cleared the area for the wound to be fully visible. To make her match, Riley tore her pants into shorts on the other side, only slightly longer than the left leg.

"Jane, we have to take the blade out," Riley said, and twisted the remains of her pants in his hands. "Take this and bite on it. I don't know how painful this will be," Shepard took the white rag and did as he bade her to do.

Within seconds, the blade was torn cleanly from her body, and there was much more blood freely flowing. Riley began applying pressure to the wound, using the already stained rags of her pants to cover the laceration. Shepard's head felt heavy, and began to lean on her elbow. "John…"

"Jane, just hold on," He glanced at the gun by her side, "You can do this. You're going to be fine," His face was clenched tight in concentration, his brow set in determination.

"Riley, get my emergency beacon," Her face was white, paler than normal and flushed with sweat. Riley recognized the signs of shock, but he shook his head.

"No, Jane.  _You will be fine_. I've lost more blood than what you've lost so far and I'm still living, trust me. You will be fine," His voice was reassuring, but she laid her body onto the ground. Her hand found its way to his, and she squeezed it, closing her eyes.

"I trust you,"

John squeezed her hand back, and then spoke softly, "Jane, we have to close your wound,"

"What? How?" Her heart pounded, and she knew that was only making matters worse. She attempted to calm herself by thinking of the beautiful rainforest that surrounded her, and how satisfying the crack of the assaulter's head hitting the ground was when Riley had taken him out.

"Just keep your eyes closed," Riley pulled away from her once more, and after a few seconds, handed the mostly clean remnants of her pants back. "Put this back in your mouth and take my hand,"

With shaky hands, Shepard kept her eyes closed, and placed the rag in her mouth. Riley was pinning her left arm underneath his leg, exposing her wound. She could feel the blood pooling underneath her, soaking the make-shift shorts she had on.

"At least the bastard didn't hit any major arteries, or we'd have a real problem," Riley's voice was close, comforting but Shepard could tell there was an edge of desperation underneath it all. "Just remember to breathe, Jane,"

 _Breathe_.

The sound of the pistol firing was hollow, Riley was firing into the air. The shots rang out  _one after another after another_  until Jane began imagining Riley sending out a message in morse-code via gunshot. Then there was that strangely familiar but eerie beeping of an over-heated gun. That's when Riley struck.

_Breathe._

That was the only command Shepard could hold onto as searing pain hit her side. It was a blinding heat that sent her mind reeling. She thought that she'd at least cry out, and perhaps she had. In those moments, she wasn't sure where she was hurt or even what hurt, only that there was pain. She opened her eyes to see Riley pressing down on her, and cauterizing her wound with the hot barrel of a Raikou Pistol. She could smell her flesh being brutally burnt by the scorching heat. Seconds later, he threw the gun off to the side and pulled her into his arms.

"It's all over. You're fine,"

_Fine._

Her hand pulled the rag from her mouth and she let it fall to the wayside. Jane was gulping the air, her body shaking from the coupling of shock, blood loss and being cauterized without anesthetics.

Riley's thumbs ran over her cheeks, wiping away tears that Shepard hadn't realized were there. His presence was surprisingly calm, and her trembling fingers gripped the sleeves of his shirt. She wasn't sure if she could talk. She wasn't sure there was much to say. His hands were rubbing her arms, which were cold even in the heat of the rain forest. Shepard's thoughts were slowly creeping back to her, and she began to slow her breathing. Her body was shaking so badly, it felt as if she may shatter into pieces. Riley was the only thing holding her together.

Her fingers drifted slowly towards her newly cauterized wound. The skin around the area was blackened, the blood that had remained was hard and bubbled, and the flesh was red and angry. She was scared to touch it and pulled her hand away from the area.

"Well, that's going to leave a scar," Shepard noted absentmindedly, her voice tinny from shock.

Riley chuckled softly, "Sunshine, don't you already know that women with scars are sexy?"

His hand came up to rest on her right cheek, skimming over the pink scar that settled below her cheekbone. Shepard usually forgot that it was there, either covering it up with cosmetics when she went to her job on Elysium, or ignoring it otherwise. It had become a part of her. Her eyes met the ground. "Well, that's the life of a hero. Sacrificing yourself for the greater good, after all,"

Riley looked over the four sleeping bodies, "I don't think it was for the greater good," He looked back to her, "You need to eat something, and then we'll be on our way,"

"Riley..." Shepard looked down at her leg, knowing that whatever muscles the marine had cut, needed to partially heal before she should even attempt to walk. Riley squeezed her hand once more before walking away to grab the pack of food.

He cut off a large set of meaty ribs. He split the ribs nearly in half, handing her the smaller portion, "Eat this and then we'll be on our way,"

Shepard took the ribs gratefully, her stomach growling in approval. Before digging into the food, she spoke softly, "Riley, I don't know if I can walk on this leg,"

"Oh, it's definitely too fucked up to walk on, Sunshine," Riley's eyes hovered over the closed wound for a moment, "But don't worry about that right now,"

The exhaustion was too much and Shepard quietly resigned to following Riley's instructions.

* * *

They'd been walking for about seven hours. Correction, Riley had been walking, while carrying Shepard. He had situated her over his shoulders, piggy-back style. Shepard had been stubborn enough to attempt walking with the injured leg, but the pain had been searing.

"Riley, just leave me here," She had gained a semblance of energy and fire back after watching it bleed out on the ground.

"No, Sunshine," His voice was unrelenting.

If there was one thing that Shepard hated more than feeling helpless, it was the thought that someone was willing to sacrifice their well-being and success for her. She couldn't let Riley do that. "I'll be fine, I promise. You deserve to at least be inducted; I'm only slowing you down,"

"What part of  **no**  don't you understand, 'Shep? Besides, you can't stop me with that gimp leg of yours," He tapped her on her bad leg, and she sucked in a breath of air.  _He still manages to be an asshole and intuitive at the same time._ _How annoying._

"I don't understand why you have to be so stubborn about this. I'm only telling you to leave me behind to make sure that you make it to the base in time," She tried to appeal to his selfish side, the facet of him that she had first met on Elysium. Ever since the ceremony, it had been all but present when she was around.

"We are on schedule, we'll be there in eleven hours, and we still have thirteen hours left in the time limit," He was reasoning with her now, stubbornly.

"Not if you continue carrying me like this. I'm slowing you down; it's taken us seven hours to get four hours of normal walking done,"  _See? I can reason too, ass._

"Then what do you propose, Sunshine? Because I'm sure as hell not leaving you behind," He had paused in the walking, shifting her off his back and helping her stand on her one good leg.

"Why the hell not?" She was getting pissed off, knowing that Riley was going to give up his career just so he could get her back to the base safely.

"Because we're a team. I know I'm not always the cuddliest motherfucker around, but I trust you more than anyone back at that base. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't even be there. If you stay behind, I stay behind. Got it?" He was holding her around the shoulders, and his face was close enough to where Shepard could see the grey clouds swirling in his irises. This determined, strong, willful man was ruining his chance to do something great on carrying Heroine of Elysium, Lieutenant Jane Shepard like a child on his back.

Shepard sucked in another breath, willing herself to calm, "I want you to leave me here," She struggled out of his grip, and Jane managed to stumble then fall onto the ground. "You can still make it. You  _deserve_  this, Riley,"

He was in her face in seconds, "You deserve this too, Jane. If it hadn't been for your biotics back there, we would have been in deep shit," His voice was a growling tremor.

Shepard ran a hand through her black locks, huffing, "You are so infuriating. Why do you have to be so fucking stubborn? Don't you realize that you're wasting your chance on me?"

She grasped his shirt, embedded with her sweat from where she'd been hanging onto him for the last few hours. He smelled like fresh rain over open fields. It took everything she had to just to ignore the desperate want of giving in to Riley's demands. "Just give me the emergency beacon, let me activate it. You know it's for the best,"

Riley's heavy breathing had silenced. The forest had stilled for a few seconds, as if the world had quieted just to let the marine think for a few moments.

"Fine, Sunshine. We'll do it your way," His words stunned her. Had she really managed to convince him? Shepard doubted it.

Those were the last words before he dropped the pack he'd shifted onto his shoulder, pulling out the beacon and activating it. Shepard had let out a sigh of relief before noticing the fact that Riley's open hand was hurtling towards her face. Her weakened state left her too slow to react to Riley and his advance.

The hours after were nothing but shadows.


	4. We Held Our Breath

_Once upon another time, she lived happily in the sunshine, in another life. Grains of wheat flowered around her, tanned skin warm from dappling light. Somebody's hands who felt like hers, slid over ripe fruit, plucking it and proudly placing it in a large wooden bucket. Just simple days and sun-kissed skin leisurely strolling through woods, she headed over hills without a care in the world. No enemies to call her own, no porch light on to pull her home._

_Where she was, was beautiful. She was free._

_She lives in shadows, having to leave her childhood behind. Her eyes would seek those summer nights, the starry skies lighting up like a thousand fireflies. Her fervent wishes were for sun-kissed skin in trade for scars, for ripe fruit instead of stippling bruises, for a family instead of loneliness._

_In dreams, she had everything she wanted. Her bright auburn locks yearned for that familiar warmth of twin Suns, and she was tempted to give up in those moments. She swore that in certain moments, just cresting over the tops of the cornstalks, were the heads of those she knew long ago. They beckoned to her, daring her to take chase between the rows of tall, green shoots._

_Letting the sun beat down upon her hair, it hummed of rose gold when the bright light of the sun struck it. Yet, she decided, there was nothing good in dying. There were still those who she cared for that still breathed._

_So, she would just keep on fighting. At least she was still free._

Swimming through murky waters to flutter open her eyes, Shepard felt a dull throb at the back of her brain. Her hand slid beneath the thin sheets to coast over her thigh, feeling nothing but healed skin. She didn't lift the sheet, her fear of what it looked like winning over her curiosity. Her body wasn't heavy with fatigue, and Shepard absentmindedly wondered how long she'd been out.

Slowly, her nose began detecting smells of the extremely delicious variety. Her eyes focused clearly onto a room that could only be assumed as a med-bay, as she was in a hospital-like bed, with clean linen sheets, and a hover Tray was at her feet, set with a few plates of appealing looking food.

Before she could focus on eating, Shepard wanted to get her bearings. Pushing herself into a sitting position on the bed, she assessed the situation.  _Where am I? Where's Riley? Here's to hoping that idiot didn't do something illegal._

Footsteps.

"Shepard, you're awake," The familiar voice of none other than David Anderson penetrated the quiet of the room.

"Sir?" Her throat was thick with sleep, and she coughed a few times before continuing. "What happened?"

Anderson chuckled softly. "You certainly do inspire the unlikeliest of people, Shepard,"

Jane groaned at his words, "What did he do?"

"You mean Captain Riley?" Anderson was amused.

"No, I mean the other idiot that dragged me in here," Shepard covered her face in embarrassment. "I'm sorry sir. He brings the worst out in me," She could hear a soft laugh before moving her hands from her face.

Anderson walked up to the side of her bed, bringing the Hover tray full of food to her, and sat in the nearby chair. "Oh, he didn't do much," _The fact that Anderson is still amused, this has got to be good._

"What's your definition of much?" Shepard eyed the scrumptious looking fare upon the tray.

"I'll tell you what happened while you eat. You've been out for almost a day. You really pushed yourself this time, Shepard," Anderson's amusement had worn off at the end of his sentence, the final words sounding much like admonishment from her father. Jane simply returned him a childish grin.

"I try, Sir," Shepard began to dig into the food.

"Well, so does Captain Riley. I only have certain details; you'll have to ask Riley for the entirety of his endeavor,"

The Lieutenant smirked.  _Oh yes, this is certainly going to be good._ Shepard motioned for him to continue.

"An emergency beacon was activated by Riley. The EVAC team arrived within twenty minutes, but the beacon was hidden in the canopy. From what the Evacuation team reported, Riley had hidden you somewhere, and was able to disable the entire EVAC team right after they located and deactivated the beacon,"

Shepard responded in-between bites, "He probably used me as bait, laying me out in plain view with the beacon nearby; he knocked me out right after activating the beacon," She shook her head, muttering, "Idiot,"

"Well, under any circumstances, it would have been difficult to disable the EVAC team, but the Captain managed to do it. He destroyed both your emergency beacons and tossed them at the EVAC scene. He then commandeered the Corvette Med-Transport and set you both down right outside the base," Anderson crossed his arms, chuckling.

"I've met very few people in this galaxy willing to achieve something by any means necessary. Most of them aren't good people," Anderson smirked at Shepard, "Captain John Riley is good people. When he brought you in, unconscious, he demanded that you both be inducted that moment, before he would let anyone bring you in here," His hand gesturing to the Med-Bay.

Finishing her food, Shepard set down her fork. "I don't know what's gotten into him, Sir,"

"Shepard, drop the formalities," The stern-ness in his voice came back in full force. Shepard grinned sheepishly.

"Fine, Anderson. I'm not sure what the hell Riley was thinking out there. He should have left me behind; it was the practical thing to do. He seemed hell-bent on both of us being inducted, not caring if I was the reason that stopped him from entering the N-program," Shepard rubbed her freckled arms, the coolness of the sterile room prickling her skin, "It seemed like he was almost… over-protective at times, like he couldn't afford to lose me,"

She concluded, "It was strange,"

"Shepard, let me tell you a few things about John Riley," Anderson leaned forward on his elbows, staring into her emerald irises.

"Before joining the Alliance, the kid had a pretty tough life. He was orphaned at five, grew up here, on earth, in a big city. When you get to a certain age in the orphanages in certain places, they just don't have room for you anymore. He was kicked out at the age of sixteen,"

Shepard held her breath, remembering the year she was sixteen – the year that her entire world had been destroyed. In a way, Riley and she were Gemini's of pain and solitude. A pink tongue shot out and wet her lips before she took a painful gulp of air, pleading her eyes not to sting with wet heat at the memories.

"He has a sister, Lee Riley, who hasn't turned eighteen yet. Back then, when Riley was kicked out, Lee was only twelve. Riley started running with a gang, the Tenth Street Reds, just so he could make enough credits to eat. He never got into disputes with the law enforcement while he was on Earth, but you can tell that his time spent those last few years on Earth… They changed him. As soon as he turned seventeen, he enlisted in the Alliance and he's been with us ever since,"

"What's happened to his sister?" Shepard asked quietly. She no longer met the dark gaze of Anderson, instead dwelling on the wrinkles of her hands.

"Once he started working military, he began paying for her to go to West Point Preparatory in North America, an all-year boarding school for military families. She's graduating this year," Anderson sighed, "Most of Riley's military career, he's been known to be cold, calculating and hard on his ground teams. You are the only person, other than his sister, that I've seen bring out the better side of him,"

Shepard nodded, black bangs swaying into her vision. "I understand, Anderson,"

Captain Anderson sat back in the chair, "Now, as soon as the personnel here give you full clearance, I expect you in some sort of dress. You have an induction ceremony to attend at 1900 hours,"

Her jaw dropped, "You mean…"

Anderson stood, giving her a slight nod. Shepard's face blossomed into a full smile, elation rising in her spirit. "Thank you, sir,"

* * *

There were thirty-three officers of the Alliance that were fully inducted in the Interplanetary Combat Training. There had been sixty-eight potentials, but Anderson had mentioned this was the largest group to be inducted yet. The ceremony took place in the same main hall as the first trial had started. Each name was called and declared an N1, followed by a polite round of applause.

There was plenty of brass filling the room, along with those that Shepard could only assume were benefactors and investors of the Alliance. The N7s that had been there before were also present, making the hall very decorated in more than one sense of the word.

Standing close to a nearby door that lead to the interior gardens, Shepard felt out of sorts in her knee-length dress. It was a dark navy, tightly fitted to her lean frame, paired with sensible black heels. In one hand, she held a small glass of whiskey on the rocks, her other hand straying ever so slightly to the new pink scar that hid beneath her dress.

She had examined it after leaving the Med-bay, staring at the thin, twisted scar that was only two inches long. Just another mark to remind her of everything she's fighting for. She wondered how long it would be until she got so many, she couldn't hide them anymore. Shepard's hand swept a few black strands out of her face, realizing  _too late._  At least she could partially hide the scar upon her cheek with cosmetics.

"Shepard," A familiar voice beckoned her face to turn from the large glass door and its accompanying windows.

"Riley," She leaned against the wall, willing her body to cool. The hall was stifling with so much body heat; it was like being surrounded by fire on every side without a fan in sight.

"I wasn't sure if they were going to release you from the Med-Bay in time for the  _festivities_ ," His face showed a clear disdain for being paraded around for the higher-ups.

"They told me that it's pretty much healed, I just need to make sure and exercise the muscle with light aerobics for a day or two," The muscle was sore, but nothing that was unbearable.

"Speaking of which," Shepard pushed off the wall with her shoulder, "Would you like to take a walk with me?"

"A walk with the Heroine of Elysium? How can I say no to that?"

Shepard smiled, laughing softly as she backed up to the glass door and opened it to the fresh air outside. There were a few people strolling around the gardens, the sun's rim just dipping into the water, reflecting off the bright blue waves. Most of the horizon was broken up by marble buildings that glowed iridescent in the sun. Shepard slipped her heels off, putting them in her hand, and set a leisurely pace beside her tan companion.

"You've been on your best behavior, I see," Shepard taunted him.

She caught a smirk on his face, "Gotta look good in front of those brassholes,"

Shepard chuckled, "That was  _horrible_ ,"

"So, were you just looking to get away from the party? I thought you were all about getting to know your squad-mates," Riley shook his head, "Which I think is a ridiculous notion in itself, wasting your time on people who won't be here for long,"

"Actually, that's what I wanted to talk to you about," Shepard stopped by a grove of tropical trees, with large palm leaves streaking the sky with green.

"About our squad-mates?" A raven eyebrow perked up, his grey eyes trained on Shepard. She shifted from one foot to the other, before setting her heels on the ground.

"About your actions this past week," She crossed her arms, "Why wouldn't you just leave me behind?"

"This  _again?_ " Riley gave a deep sigh, running a hand through his short locks of midnight, " _Jesus Christ, Sunshine._ I thought we were over this,"

"You risked your acceptance into the program because of  _me._  Were you thinking clearly? Were you thinking at all?" Shepard stepped towards him, her head cocked to the side.

Riley shook his head, and spoke roughly, "You know, I really expected that you would thank me, but obviously that was too fucking much to ask for,"

"You can't do that again," Shepard stated.

"I can damn well do what I please,  _Sunshine,_ " The way he was saying her nickname made it sound more like an insult. "I follow my own rules, thanks,"

Shepard furrowed her brow, stepping closer to him, "Why are you so hell-bent on making sure that I stay here? I don't need your help, John," She was surprised how defensive she sounded.

"Well you certainly  _needed_  it three days ago," He huffed, stepping towards her. His frame towered over hers by a few inches, and the sudden proximity made her take a step back. Shepard hadn't realized how close he was.

"You should have left me back then too," She huffed, "Or don't you remember my endless argument with you?"

"Oh trust me,  _Sunshine_. Your bitching is one thing I can't get out of my mind. Why do you care so much that I helped you out? You're in the program," Shepard could tell he was getting angry by the muscles bunching at his shoulders as he held himself still.

"Damn it Riley!" Shepard hissed, "I am not your sister! I am a grown-ass woman, who can handle herself! I don't  _need_  you to save me!" She stiffened as she fully processed the words that had fallen from her lips.

Riley stepped towards her again; she mirrored his step by backing up, "I wasn't  _saving you_ , Shepard. What I thought I was doing…" He took another step forward, she took another back. "Was helping out a friend that had helped my ass out of a tough situation, but trust me when I say…"

He stepped towards her again, Shepard backed herself up against the trunk of a tree, "I won't be making that mistake again,"

"Riley… I didn't," For once, the Heroine of Elysium was at a loss of words.

The tall, dark and handsome Captain stepped towards her, his body mere inches from hers. "You didn't what, Shepard? You obviously didn't give a shit about reading my file, or whatever you did to find out about my life,"

She searched for the words, wanting to apologize and explain herself all at once, but she truly wanted to find a time machine and take back every word that flew from her mouth. All she could do was stare straight into a steely gaze that had her trapped against a tree.

Riley continued, his voice low and dangerous, "Just for the record," His hands were suddenly on her hips, trailing up her sides, "No matter how much a pain in the ass you are,  _Sunshine_ … I have never thought of you like a sister,"

There was heat in his gaze, in his intentions, in his palms that had gone from her waist to her sides and up her back, setting fire to her sleeping muscles.  _This_  was unexpected.

For seven months, she'd been mourning the death of her lover. She'd always had an attraction towards Riley, but it was always pure lust. Over the past week, learning more about him, successfully completing a mission with his help, had changed a lot of those feelings. Perhaps she just didn't feel ready to let those familiar feelings rise once more for a new person. Perhaps she thought that they'd just die like Tiberus had, leaving her alone again. Shepard didn't want to go through that pain again, not if she could help it.

Now she had completely torched anything she'd built with Riley.

His thumb ghosted over the scar on her right cheek, and he whispered venomously, "I really thought you were different, Jane. Guess we really do learn something new every day,"

And just like that, he was gone.

Riley left her shaking against the trunk of a tree, the sun having been below the depths of the water for some time, the stars slowly emerging from their velvet blanket of indigo.

Letting out a huff, Shepard pushed off the tree trunk. She picked up her heels, trying her best to pick up her pride along the way back to her room.

* * *

The next mission wasn't really a mission at all. Shepard wondered if everything in the N-Program was always deceitful. Dinners that ended up as survival of the fittest, missions that required nothing but a willing physical body.

Each N1 vocation was required to go through certain genetic modifications in preparation for their upcoming ground teamwork. From this point on, until they were out of the N-program, everyone would be put into teams of three. Every team would have aspects of biotics, tech and combat. Each level would inevitably drop those not advancing on, and the teams would be rebalanced.

At this point, there were eleven teams of three. As it were, the ICT Academy had also deemed to give each class of combat their own name. Shepard, being a Sentinel, was referred to as a Paladin. She had yet to meet her team-mates, but apparently they were both male, one being a 'Demolisher' and the other a 'Destroyer'.  _How quaint_ , her sarcasm responded.

She only worried that one of them would be Captain John Riley.

However, everyone had been notified that the genetic modifications could be rejected by their bodies. If changes 'wouldn't take' per se, the N1 would be discharged as an N1. The Alliance had deemed the mission work too strenuous for those without the genetic mods.

Each person had been given a surgery time and a follow-up day. They were spaced exactly a week apart.

The surgery had been relatively painless. Afterwards, Shepard had been given 5 hours a day of mandatory exercising for the next week. Each day of the week had a clearly dictated workout, and at the end of each workout there had been a test of some sort. Whether she had been tested for endurance, strength, flexibility, biotic ability, technical prowess, or combat training, there were droves of scientists watching her moves at the end of each day.

Everyone was kept neatly separated during their training and workouts, and during meal-times, no one was exceptionally loquacious. It was probably due to being exhausted and the fact that everyone was worried that the next friend they made would be sent home. Each day, Shepard would glance at Riley while they were both in the mess hall. He wouldn't acknowledge her, but she knew that certain times, he knew she was looking.

Shepard's follow-up had come that morning.

It'd only been fourteen days since she'd reached the Villa, but it already felt like months. Walking down the long hall back to the Med-bay seemed like it took forever.

A tall man in a white coat stood near the doors that opened, and as she entered, he immediately glanced at her, "Name?"

Shepard tilted her head, confused. "I'm sorry?"

"What's your name? You're here for the follow-up, correct?" He was terse, but Shepard couldn't blame him. He'd probably been doing these exams every day for the past three days.

"Lieutenant Jane Shepard of the Fifth Fleet, Naval Branch," She responded quickly.

The presumed doctor nodded, pulling up his Omni-tool, which wasn't a blazing orange, but a brilliant green hue. Shepard was entranced by it for a moment. It scanned over her body for a few seconds, and then beeped as it came to completion.

"Well, congratulations Lieutenant Shepard, you're modifications had taken well to your chemistry. You've drastically improved over the past week. You will get to meet your squad-mates within the week," The doctor shut down his Omni-tool. "Now if you'll excuse me…"

"Actually, I was wondering if you could tell me about someone else, if they've already gotten their results back…" Shepard stepped towards him, giving the doctor a charming smile.

"I'm not sure that I can do that, Ma'am," The doctor backed up, but just as quickly, Shepard invaded his space once more.

"It would mean so much to me," Shepard gave him a coy smile, looking at him through her dark lashes. She touched the doctor lightly on the elbow, playing the part of an interested companion.

"I suppose I can look it up…" The doctor nodded for her to go ahead, activating the translucent emerald Omni-tool once more.

"Captain John Riley of the Third Fleet, Marine Branch," She fired off, breathless.

A few seconds accompanied by soft beeping and the doctor nodded. "Yes, he came in here yesterday. He also passed the medical examination.  _Now…"_

He gestured towards the doors once more, and Shepard nodded gratefully. "Thank you, Doctor,"

That afternoon, as Shepard was eating lunch, her glance on the form of John Riley was lingering. He caught her gaze for a few seconds before she let a small smile surface on her lips, and she nodded at him. He nodded back once before turning back to his food.

_Perhaps there was hope to reconcile, after all._

* * *

It turned out, that seven people had to be let go from the program as N1s over the course of the next four days. There were now eight teams, two of them had four people, the rest still had three squad-mates. Her team hadn't been changed, so she didn't care so much. She would meet them within the next few days, so she wasn't too worried about it.

Shepard was still expected to work out until she found out exactly who her team-mates were, but she was free to train when she wanted. It was Shepard's preference to work out at night.

She never could break that habit of training by starlight. Perhaps it was embedded in her DNA by now, the urge to feel her muscles tire by moonlight.

Apparently, it was John Riley's favorite time to work out as well.

The night before, she'd gone to a training room that she'd never been into before, one that was more combat-based, and stumbled upon the image of Riley sparring with another N1. She had been silent, and their workout was anything but, so she had been able to slip away without being noticed.

Tonight, Shepard figured she'd try that same room.

It could either go really, really well or really, really horribly. But isn't that always how every choice in life was?  _Isn't life just a set of best-case versus worst-case scenarios?_  It sure felt like that to Shepard.

Stepping into the doorway, there he was, dressed in nothing but training sneakers and a pair of black training shorts. He was alone tonight, but the most unnerving thing was that Riley was staring right at her.

"I was wondering when you'd come back," His voice was low, but soft. It reminded Shepard of a caged tiger.

Shepard walked up to him, keeping herself about three feet from him. "Did you see me leaving here last night?"

He smirked, crossing his arms in front of his chest. Shepard couldn't help but notice how his abs rippled as he moved. Her own training suit was comprised of an Omni-tool, a pair of crimson shorts that easily showed off her newly-acquired scar on her thigh, and a black halter top. All the clothes that they had provided Shepard had been form-fitting. She wasn't exactly fond of it.

"Then how'd you know I came by yesterday?" She leaned towards him, hands on her hips.

"I guessed," He stepped towards her, and she automatically stepped back. Riley chuckled under his breath. "Really,  _Sunshine_ , I'm not going to hurt you. You just… smell stronger today. Like rain,"

"I'm not afraid of you," Her eyes burned into his grey gaze, "What do you mean, I smell like the rain?"

"Not  _the_  rain, just rain. It's as if a raincloud hovers just over your head," Riley stepped towards her again, and Shepard forced herself to stay in place. "Before the genetic mods, I couldn't smell it until I was close enough to touch you, but now… I can smell you from across the room,"

Shepard hadn't noticed anything like that changing in her because of the mods, but it seemed like a plausible explanation. She took a breath, "I wanted to apologize,"

"Oh? I think I'd much rather dance," Riley quipped.

Shepard cocked her head, as Riley put himself into a fighting stance. "Right now?"

"Better now than later, besides, you can multi-task, you're a capable individual. Talk while we tango, Sunshine,"

Shepard licked her lips, biting her bottom lip in anticipation. She took notice of how quickly Riley's attention had turned from her eyes to her mouth in seconds, and her skin prickled at the memory of him holding her sides. Her skin flushed, but she nodded and mirrored his stance, her muscles humming in anticipation.

Classical conditioning had done a number upon the N1 Sentinel. Each time she began her workouts at night, her body sighed each time it went to bed alone. This time, having someone to spar, her limbs reminded her of those late nights full of glistening sweat and sweet releases. Looking over John Riley wasn't helping her in the least.

She had the incredible urge to reach out and touch him, just to run her hands up his muscled arms. She wanted to feel the heat in his hands again, feel them skim up her curves. Instead, she clenched her hands into fists, remembering that there was something more important to address than her desires.

Riley, holding up loose fits, gestured towards Shepard. "Ladies first,"

They began to dance.

Shepard kept Riley on his toes, striking at one spot, then fainting towards another area and surprising him with a kick. Perspiration filled Shepard's nose with the smell of rain, and she finally understood what Riley meant.

While going in for a quick jab, Shepard cleared her throat, "I should have never mentioned your sister. You obviously keep your personal life secret for your own reasons, and even though someone entrusted that information to me, I shouldn't have flaunted my knowledge in your face,"

Riley responded with a quick sweeping kick that made Shepard land on her butt, "I know Anderson told you," Riley stated. "He's the only one on this entire base with a high enough rank to read that information; it's highly classified for a reason. He explained himself,"

Shepard easily sprung back onto her feet and continued, now on the defensive against Riley.

He came at her with a set of punches, crosses and jabs, "I am not, however, going to apologize for bringing you back to base. I was not treating you like a child, or whatever you thought I was doing," Shepard blocked each one systematically, a predatory gaze trained on his movements.

"Then why do it?" Shepard asked, pressing him. "It's very unlike you, you have to admit,"

Riley caught her off-guard again with a kick, his foot planted firmly into her stomach, and she doubled over for a moment. "Shepard, how many goddamn times do I have to explain this to get this through your head?"

"I took out that entire EVAC team; you know that I could have disabled those four idiots we encountered without many problems. However, you put yourself in harm's way to keep me safe; I was only returning the favor to my friend," Using the momentum, Shepard had rolled forwards and ended up on the other side of the half-dressed Captain.

He grabbed her, pulling her close. "I don't have a lot of those," He confessed.

His hands were grasping her arms lightly, but Shepard felt his hands leave a trail of fire down her fore-arms to her hands. He took her hands in his, and squeezed them once before letting them go. The problem was: Shepard didn't let go of Riley's hands. Her hands had stayed lightly grasping his, her eyes examining how much larger his were.

"Jane?" Riley's voice was soft and when she looked up, it was into the depths of grey skies.

"Forgive me," She whispered. "I don't want to lose you,"

Something in her voice did it, Riley pulled her into his arms and she reveled in the feeling of his slick skin against her own sleek form. Just feeling the warmth of his arms encircling her, heated her to the core. She felt a familiar need clench in her lower stomach, coiling with tension. It was both welcome and frightening to Shepard.

The adrenaline rush from their playful sparring had her heart beating double-time, and Shepard was sure that Riley had taken notice of it. Feeling his breath against her neck just intensified the urge to lay him out on the floor and finally complete her night-time ritual.

"Everyone deserves second chances, Sunshine," His voice, low and rough, was just beside her ear. If she just turned her head, his mouth would be  _right there._  Shepard could feel her body pleading for release, wanting relief from these stressful missions and events that had consumed her life since Tiberus had died.

He pulled away before her mind had finally been convinced of what to do, though his face stayed close.

"Are we okay?" She looked up at him through dark lashes.

"We're okay, Sunshine," He pulled away, and her muscles sighed in frustration. "Do you want to go another round?"

"Is that really what you want to do?" Shepard heard the words leave her mouth, but the voice that accompanied them was more sultry and low than she had used in a long time.  _Wait… What did I just say? Oh, God._

"Did you have something else in mind?" Riley's hand reached out and Shepard slid her hand into his.

"What I meant to say… Well…" Words failed her. Shepard mentally cursed herself for being in this situation. His steel gaze was entrapping her; she could feel it drawing her closer to him.

"Jane… Are you coming onto me?" His voice rubbed over her skin like velvet. He pulled her closer to him, feeling his hip press against the curve of her side. Shepard melted into the heat of his embrace, her body vibrating with want.

She ran a hand through her hair, but before she could respond a beep emitted from her Omni-tool. Riley reluctantly released Shepard from his grip, and she contemplated for a moment or two on whether or not to answer the incoming message. She had half a mind to throw her Omni-tool across the room, but something told her to answer it.

"Just… give me a second," Shepard whispered. Her hand moved swiftly to activate her Omni-tool and pull up her messages.

_Urgent Information_

_From: ELIZA_

_Jane,_

_First, allow me to recognize the fact that you are officially inducted into the Interplanetary Combat Training. Congratulations. However, I received information via my friend Siri that the mission Amber Damara went on fell to critical condition. Almost the entire ground team was KIA by a thresher maw on Akuze. Ensign Damara was the sole survivor, but received many wounds and was poisoned during the attack._

_Amber Damara is currently aboard the Arcturus Station. She suffered severe head trauma and fell into a coma while enroute to the Arcturus Stream. Her father is currently at the General Alliance Hospital with her, but he won't be able to stay there much longer, due to his work schedule. I would have contacted you as soon as it happened, but I only just received the transmitted data._

_Be safe out there. There are non-organic and organic specimens that indeed care whether or not you make it out of the N-Program Combative Training in one piece._

_ELIZA_

"Shepard? Are you okay?" The playfulness had left his voice, and he was kneeling by her side.

_Kneeling?_

Shepard found herself on the floor, her body hunched over her Omni-tool. Slowly, her fingers closed the orange screen that held the message. Her face was drained entirely of color, her body felt like it weighed too much for her to move. Shepard felt Riley's hand on her arm, but her mind was a galaxy away.

Her thoughts were picturing the blonde, honey-eyed woman that she had grown up with. The first friend she'd made after losing everything on Mindoir, the only person she'd confided everything in, the one person that supported her in the darkest of times.

_My best friend is dying._

"I'm sorry, but… I-I have to go," Shepard whispered.


End file.
